


Stormy Nights

by daughterofshadows



Series: Beneath our wings [3]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Comfort, Cute, Multi, Storms, The Beauty of scary things, actual dialogue!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29179281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daughterofshadows/pseuds/daughterofshadows
Summary: Some traditions span the ages.Storm nights in the line of Feanor.Cute kids, loving parents and happy times for all
Relationships: Arwen Undómiel & Elrond Peredhel, Arwen Undómiel & her children, Maedhros | Maitimo & Maglor | Makalaurë, Maedhros | Maitimo & Nerdanel, Maedhros | Maitmo & Maglor | Makalaurë & Elrond Peredhel & Elros Tar-Minyatur
Series: Beneath our wings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956457
Kudos: 12





	Stormy Nights

**Author's Note:**

> This is drastically different in style from the first two works in this series, which is why I'm counting it as an outtake.  
> It's still set in the same universe, though!  
> Note, that this is a translational & adaptation of one of my older fics, which is part of the reason why it sounds so different.  
> This is heavily inspired by the song "Lullaby for a stormy night" by Vienna Teng.
> 
> Now, enjoy some love and happiness with this storm fic!

Nerdanel had been expecting this night. The first storm her son Nelyo would be truly aware of. It was a mystery to her why those storms always came at night, but that just seemed to be the way it was. Come morning the sun would shine again, but for now, the wind howled, and rain pounded against the windows.

She sat on a stool in front of the fire, watching the flames.

Nelyo was on her lap, his downy wings tickling her bare arms. They hadn’t quite left the chick stage yet. His fingers were tangled in her hair, the same copper red as his own locks.

“Amil? Sing something, please? Maybe the storm calms down then… I don’t think anyone ever sings him a lullaby”, Nelyo mumbled half asleep.

She laughed. “Certainly, my darling. Maybe you’re right and he’s just lonely.”

Her wings curled around her child and she hummed the first notes of a melody her mother had sung to her when she was little. At first it was just the music, but then the words came back to her, too.

The soft song filled the living room with noise, while in her arms her son went limp as he fell back asleep. And as his breaths evened out, the storm seemed to calm, until only the gentle pitter-patter of summer rain remained.

She smiled. Maybe Nelyo had been right and the storm had just needed a lullaby.

Two cold hands slipping under his sleepshirt brought him out of his reverie.

“What’re you doin’ up. Kano?”, Nelyo mumbled, his eyes slowly adjusting to the waking world again.

His little brother opened his mouth, but in that second lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating Kano’s terrified face with blinding white light. The clap of thunder had Kano pressing up against him and hiding his face in the soft fabric of his shirt.

Nelyo sat up, carefully arranging the little shaking form on his lap. He shook out his wings, rustling sleep-mussed feathers.

“Hush, little brother, it’s only a storm. It can’t reach you in here, I promise. Let me show you something?” He lifted his brother up and walked to the window. Gently drawing the curtains aside, he nudged Kano to look outside.

“See that rain? It makes the flowers in the garden grow. Like the purple ones we brought Amil yesterday. It’s really important that they get water, and the storm gives them that. I know the thunder is really loud and scary, but it’s just the music storms bring with them. That’s their part in the Great Music.”

Kano nodded sleepily: “Hmmm, a’righ’. Water makes purple flowers. and the thunder is like drums. C’n I still sleep with you t’night?”

Nelyo nuzzled Kano’s neck. “Sure, little songbird. How about I’ll sing you a lullaby so you can fall asleep, hm?”

And he hummed the first notes of their mother’s storm-song.

Elrond and Elros hated thunderstorms with a passion. They were too loud, too bright, too overwhelming and woke one up in the middle of the night.

This one had been an especially sneaky one. It had started deceptively calm with gentle rainfall, but then the floodgates opened, and it felt like the Sundering Sea was coming down on them.

The windows had admitted defeat to the torrents.

“I don’t like it that the rain is coming inside now. It’s not supposed to be here. Let’s go find Uncle Maglor”, Elrond decided and dragged Elros out of the room.

They had barely reached the corridor to the main part of the keep when they ran into him.

“There’s water in our rooms! Make it go away, please?”, Elros grabbed hold of Maglor’s tunic and stared at him with baleful eyes.

Maglor groaned. “Oh, not your room, too. Alright, let’s see whether my brother’s room is still dry…”

“The windows are leaking? We’ll have to get that sorted soon.”

A worried frown edged its way onto Maedhros’ face.

Maglor put a hand on his shoulder. “Doubtlessly, but we’re hardly going to do it tonight. Since our rooms are compromised, we’re sleeping here tonight, so go get changed. I shan’t let you use it as an excuse to miss out on rest!”

Maedhros closed his mouth defeatedly and stood. There was no arguing with Maglor on such matters. And while he wouldn’t let himself drop deeply into reverie with the twins there, even the few hours of light rest would probably do him some good.

When he entered his bedroom, the twins were tucked against Maglor’s stomach, curled up tightly like a pair of cats. They were staring out of the window.

“It’s not quite as scary from here”, one of them mumbled, spitting out a mouthful of feathers. “Bah, you’re moulting ‘.”

Elrond only sleepily patted his brother in response and shushed him. “Sleep ‘ros. Night, night.”

“Out like a light. How do they do it?”, Maedhros whispered.

Maglor shrugged. “Their human ancestry maybe?”

Maedhros settled down on the other side of the bed, facing his brother. As he was drifting off, he could hear the faint notes of an old-familiar melody.

He smiled.

"Ada are you awake?”, a little girl asked, tugging at her father’s blanket.

When he didn’t react, she clambered on to the bed and cuddled against him.

Elrond awoke when little cold feet snuck under his shirt and pressed against his stomach.

“Little star?”, he questioned, still half asleep. “What’s going on?”

“You need to protect me from the storm!”, his daughter explained and turned large blue eyes on him.

“Is it trying to harm you?”

Arwen nodded vigorously. “And El and Ro aren’t here, so you have to do it all on your own! But I believe in you. You’re my hero!

No, don’t get up, Ada! What if it gets you?”

She clung tightly to Elrond.

He smiled and picked her up. “It won’t. I’m sure this is a friendly thunderstorm. Why don’t we go and have a closer look?”

Arwen was doubtful. “But it’s so noisy! And it turns the tree outside my window into a monster!”

He carried her to the window and drew the curtain aside. Behind him, Celebrían came up and drowsily pressed a kiss against his shoulder.

“Are we storm-gazing, my loves?”, she asked, her sleep-ruffled silver wings catching the shine of the next lightning bolt.

“We are, melethril”, Elrond replied. He turned to his daughter. “You’ll see, little star, a storm can be very beautiful when you know where to look. My father taught me that many years ago.”

Arwen would remember her father’s words centuries later, while comforting her own children during a stormy night.

Her father had shown her that thunderstorms weren’t the big, bad monsters she had made them out to be, but were a spectacle of nature with a beauty all of its own.

So, she did her best to show her children, too.

Eldarion was fascinated by storms, and would spend hours watching them with his father, if they let him.

In Arwen’s opinion, there were few things cuter than her husband sitting in an armchair with their son on his lap, whose wings fluttered excitedly with every crack of thunder.

His sister did not share his enthusiasm, which was why she had curled up on her mother’s knees.

Slowly, Arwen’s quiet song and gentle hands had soothed her to sleep again.

“Everything alright here?”, Aragorn whispered.

Arwen looked up.

Her husband was standing in the doorway, carrying their sleeping son in his arms, and a loving smile on his lips.

She nodded and got up, careful not to jostle her daughter and wake her up again.

Arwen kissed Eldarion’s cheek and then her husband.

“Time for bed for all of us, I think.”

**Author's Note:**

> There is going to be a second chapter with all the stories that didn't fit into this continuity so stay tuned for that!  
> So far we have baby!Celegorm and big brother Maglor and an alternative version of Elrond, Elros and Maedhros; but I'm planning at least two more, one with Gil-Galad and Círdan and one with baby!Aragorn and Elrond.
> 
> Until then, I hope everyone stays safe and I'll see you soon!


End file.
